


Grounded Angel

by elsiepedee



Category: Camp Camp (Web Series)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Wings, F/M, Friends to Lovers, also slight angst, slight slowburn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-12-21
Updated: 2018-03-17
Packaged: 2019-02-18 01:35:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 13,398
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13089660
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/elsiepedee/pseuds/elsiepedee
Summary: When Gwen signs up to work at Camp Campbell, all she's really looking for is a paycheck, and maybe a tan. But then she gets a friend, and that friend turns out to be so much more. When she feels a twitch in her back that can only mean one thing, she's scared. She's looked for her soulmate before, and has always ended up with a broken heart. When she finds David, her Frankenstein heart knows that she isn't good enough, or deserving enough. But she can only hide under the guise of being wingless for so long.Her wings were cut off as a child, and his would make an angel weep. But her wings are growing back, and soon David will know.





	1. One

It wasn’t fate. It wasn’t two worlds colliding as one. It wasn’t a lamp post in the rain, or a coffee shop with the sound of pages turning and coffee brewing.

It was a look of jealousy at a job interview, quickly hidden by shame and awkwardness.

“Gwen?” David asked. She always found a pair that she wanted to rip off and put on her own back. But she meant that in the least violent and cruel way possible, of course. He had wings so beautiful that they’d put angels to shame, with his light, meadow green feathers dipped in sunshine gold. Gwen found it humorous that he worked somewhere so perfect for his out of the ordinary wings, and could not picture him anywhere else. The soft green and shimmering gold acted like dazzling camouflage in this forest out of a dream. The wings felt familiar, like she had seen them before, but she supposed she would have remembered them on somebody else.

“Earth to Gwen.” David said, smiling, waving his hand in front of her face. Her eyes followed the movement, and she was shaken back to reality. Right, she’s at a job interview, and she just daydreamed about her employers wings. Great. Her eyes widened, and she looked up to David, searching for a half-assed explanation. “Yes! Sorry! I- uh, was just…” She stammered. David chuckled, looking to both sides of him. “Don’t worry! You’re not the only one to do that. Happens all the time.” He assured her. She nodded, putting on her best fake smile.

“So, Gwen, I’m super happy to tell you that you seem like a great fit for Camp Campbell!” David cheered, putting out his hand for her to shake. “Finally!” She said, on instinct. David looked at her curiously, as she blushed awkwardly, cursing herself in her head. “I’m happy you feel that way, David, and I’m excited to work with the kids that come this summer!”

“Okay, I’ll give you the quick tour, since I’m sure you’ll need time to settle in!” David said, leading the way through the camp site. Gwen silently thanked David for making this quick. She’d rather explore the place alone, on her own time. The two made way to a clearing, which was home to a large log cabin, with a smaller one to the side. It was all topped off with a large flagpole, with a green flag flying through the wind. She admired the design printed on it. “This large cabin is the mess hall, where we eat our meals, and host indoor activities. Next to that is the Quartermaster’s dorm. He’s going to arrive with the kids.” David said. The look in his eye made her question if she really wanted to meet him. “And of course, the flagpole!” David said, looking up towards the flag and extending his hand in the camp salute. Gwen fumbled with her hand, copying David and doing the same. He looked at her salute, and smiled. “Over that way is the Amphitheatre, and the trail next to it leads to the activities feild. But those aren’t as important in our quick little tour. Follow me, to the tents!” He cheered. That enthusiasm was starting to get old, but Gwen didn’t show it over her fake smile and feigned interest.

Sun in her eyes, sweat clinging to her business suit. This is not how she pictured herself spending her summer, and this tour was showing her more of what her summer would be like than David intended. She wasn’t sure how she felt about the guy, but with months ahead, she was damn well going to try to like him. He led the way to the tents, with a large pace that seemed to steal ground as he walked. Fast, light. Matched his personality. Matched his wings, probably. She wondered if he was walking instead of flying, in pity that she couldn’t?

“Do you like blackberries?” David asked, after a small portion of uncomfortable silence. Gwen nodded, before realizing David couldn’t see her. “Yeah,” She said, then added on after a moment. “I live in a city, though. I don’t think I’ve ever had wild ones. Do they grow around here much?” Gwen wasn’t the best conversationalist, but knew that she had to put in effort if she wanted good ties with David. The least she could do was put in minimal effort. And this seemed to be enough, as it was almost like a switch went off on David. “Oh, yeah! They get deep in the brush, you have to have good eyes to find them. I usually point them out to the kids when I see them, because they’re the only wild plants I don’t have to force them to eat. They’re a rough bunch… But don’t let that worry you! A lot of them are actually really sweet, just rambunctious.” He said, beaming. She could see the tents now, just around the corner. 

“Do you want to hear a secret, Gwen?” David asked. “Sure.” She said, actually interested. “You’re the first co-councillor I’ve ever worked with.” He admitted. Gwen chuckled, looking at his face, which was easily readable. He seemed nervous about it, but there was also excitement, like a person trying to roller-skate for the first time. She wondered if he was nervous because he had bad experiences with people in the past, or just because he flat out didn’t see people too much at all. He might not, living in a rural area like this. She pushed the thoughts aside, deciding that right now was not the time to use her psych degree and her fanfiction experience. She also thanked whoever gave him an easily readable face. She liked things like that, and hated faces that were equivalent to actually making somebody guess when asking ‘guess what’.

“Well I hope to be a good first co-counselor to you, David!” She decided on saying. His face fell for a fraction of a second, almost like he was expecting a different answer, and then grew back to his unrealistic smile. “I’m sure you will be, Gwen!” He said, stopping. Gwen stood beside him. “These are the kid’s tents, and that,” He started, pointing towards a log cabin, “is the councillor's cabin! That’s where we’ll be staying. I’ll show you around, and leave you there to get settled.” She let out a hum of approval, and the two walked to the doorstep of the cabin.

The inside of the cabin, at first glance, was the type of cozy that motel owners used to say that their rooms were cramped. But once Gwen stepped inside, the AC made up for the size immediately. The front room housed a TV with two chairs, one seemingly newer than the other. There was also a microwave on top of a fridge. A rug crowned the wooden floors at the door, and a desk was off to the side. A door stood on the opposite wall. “It’s not much, but we won’t be in here most of the time anyways!” He fussed, while stopping briefly and opening the other door. “And last but not least, the bedroom!” He said.

Bedroom. Singular. One. Two beds were on each side, accompanied by two grey drawers. David’s side was already unpacked, it seemed. An empty bulletin board sat on the wall, and his drawers labeled ‘David’ and ‘Knee High Socks’ respectively. She snorted at that. “So we’re going to share this room, then?” She asked. “Yep! Don’t worry, it won’t be a problem for you. I’ll be sure to give you all the privacy you need.” He said, and she felt relieved. One thing she did notice was that her bedroom side was not new like the couch had been. It seemed old and unused, dormant. Lying in wait for the next victim counselor to prance through. There were always two beds here, and yet one councillor stood beside her.

“Why is it just you here, David?” Gwen asked, figuring it was a safe question. David tensed up for a fraction of a second. “Well, the kids can be a bit much sometimes. A bit too much. I love them all to death, and I tried to be the best counselor I could for as long as possible, but… I don’t think some of them like me.” He admitted. Gwen tilted her head in confusion. “How can they not like you?” She asked out loud, accidentally. David looked up at her, then put on a small grin. “I’m not sure. Maybe it’s the hair?” He asked. Gwen laughed, studying it. “I mean, maybe? I love the anti-gravity thing you have going for you, but I get why somebody wouldn’t want to look at it in the morning, or in direct sunlight.” She joked. David was beaming, as he brushed his fingers through his hair. 

“Well, I better get back to the mess hall and unpack the supplies for this year. I’ll let you get settled in.” David said. Gwen nodded. “It was a long drive for me anyway, I think I’ll take a nap. “Okay!” David said, walking towards the door, while Gwen got between the sheets. He stopped in the doorway, and Gwen turned to see him. “Gwen?” He asked, not turning around. “Hmm?”

“I just wanted to let you know that you don’t really have to be… As on edge as you are here. This isn’t really a professional job, or anything. Just one to have fun at.” David said. “You can be yourself all you want. You’ll be here an entire summer, after all.” And suddenly, it was like a weight lifted off of Gwen’s chest. She could speak her mind. Whatever happened, she could have her own commentary on it without the risk of being fired.

“Oh thank god.” She sighed, and David snickered. “You were acting really robotic, and I didn’t want to lead you on to think that this was a professional job! I want to be your friend, not your co-worker.” David stated. “If you want to be my friend, David, I’ve got a hell of a lot of DVD’s I can pack to binge watch.” Gwen said. “After I nap, of course. Goodnight, David.”

“Night, Gwen.”


	2. Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> happy new year!!

‘‘Dear Gwen!!!’ The note read. ‘I got up early, and didn’t want to wake you, although I hope you didn’t sleep in too much!!! I’ll be in the Mess Hall. Please come by, I have a surprise for you!!!!! Sincerely, hopefully your friend, possibly your best friend, co-counselor David.’ 

The paper was lined, with a forest background that was lighter in the middle than it was on the edges. Pretty paper. The type of paper a crafty grandma would get in a dollar store. Gwen read it over groggily, then crumpled it up and threw it in the bin, along with seven other light green wads.

She had been here for a week, and every morning had been pretty much the same. David would wake up early, to set up everything for the campers by himself. When Gwen got up, she would eventually go down to the mess hall out of guilt. She would ask if there was anything for her to do, and he would give her easy tasks, while he did everything else.

Normally Gwen was all for not working, but not today. She had gotten so, so bored. Imagine one of the hundreds of instances when your mother is on the phone for seemingly hours, when she said she would take you to go somewhere. Now divide that, because wow, that’s a lot of boredom. Stretch that out between 7 days, and you’ve got Gwen’s mood. She needed to do something that wasn’t cleaning the floors, or sorting pencils by color. And God help David if he didn’t let her do her job.

Gwen tied her hair into a ponytail, completing her morning routine. She grabbed her anxiety pills and phone, then tucked them in her pockets. Deciding to exit with more badassery than usual, Gwen kicked the door open, and with her head held high, she started her walk towards the Mess Hall.

Gwen decided on the knob instead of her foot this time, and opened the door to a seemingly empty cabin. Things were about and noise could be heard, but David was not in sight. Gwen’s shoulders lowered slightly, as she eased up. Suddenly, David’s head popped out from the serving counter, with a smile bigger than the sun. Gwen jumped backwards, and David ignored her fright as he walked over. “Good morning, Gwen!” He said, awkwardly, hiding something behind his wings. Gwen peered at him curiously, but didn’t ask anything.

“David-” Gwen started. “I hope you slept well! Thankfully there isn’t much to do today! So you can sit back and relax.”

“David.”

“I hope you didn’t come down here for the surprise, because It’s not… Done yet. But it will be soon, I promise!”

“David!” Gwen snapped, and then widened her eyes, surprised at her outburst. David stiffened, and gave Gwen an awkward smile. “Yes?” He asked. Gwen looked at David with her chin raised. “Give me real work today. I can handle it. No more of this unimportant shit.” She announced. David let out a breath, then looked to both sides of him. “What do you mean?” He asked. Gwen huffed. “What do you mean? Yesterday you only had me organize crayons in rainbow order!”

“And you did a great job at it!” David smiled, ignoring the topic. “Let me help out, David! That’s what I’m here for! I can’t just wander around a camp that doesn't even have WiFi!” She exclaimed. David raised his finger up, ready to explain himself.

Ding!

From the back room, a timer went off, and David put down his hand. His blank face turned back into a grin, and he took out his hand from behind his back, putting on an oven mitt. Gwen watched as he rushed into the back serving room, feathers flying, clanging around what she assumed was baking trays. Moments later, a little too fast than it should have taken, David came back with a large plate of cookies. “Surprise!” He beamed. “I wanted to give you a warm welcome, with a warm plate of cookies! You seem like a peanut butter cookie type of woman, so I really hope you like them!” David said, dripping with pride. Gwen loosened her composure, and looked down to the cookies with a blank expression, feeling awkward. She mustered up a warm smile. “Yeah, peanut butter cookies are my favorite.”

“Look, I'm sorry that I yelled at you.” Gwen said, covering her cookie-filled mouth. The two sat across from each other, on one of the many vacant tables. “You were just being nice. I should have appreciated that more than I did.” David let out a chuckle, picking up a cookie of his own. 

“Don’t worry, it’s okay. It’s just that I’m so used to doing it all myself. I guess I just wanted to make sure everything was perfect, so I had you do the stuff that wasn’t as important. I thought I was giving you time to relax, and I didn’t realize you were that worked up about it.” He said, then took a huge bite of the cookie.

“No, no, no, it’s fine. It was awesome what you did for me.” She said, then gulped. “But like, I don’t want to be the one person who just sits around not doing work.” She said, thinking back to her previous firings and her foster parents. “And, I forgot my iPad charger.” She smiled.

“We should probably just share the work equally from now on, like we’re supposed to.” David laughed. “Half of nothing, so far.” Gwen joked, referring to the few kidless days they had left. David grinned, remembering something. “Actually, a third of nothing, once QM shows up with the kids tomorrow!” David said, eyes widening. “Aw shit!” Gwen said, under her breath. “I didn’t realize it was so soon!” David tilted his head and took a bite, smiling and lowering his eyebrows playfully. “Gweeeen. What you do in your alone time isn’t my business, but when the kids do arrive, please make an effort to not swear around them.” Gwen swallowed the rest of her cookie, and nodded. “Yeah, sure, whatever.” She said, mind focused on tomorrow instead of the present. She wondered how many kids would be there. What type of kids.

“David?” she asked. He hummed, inviting her question. “Are there any kids that are ‘regulars’?” 

She seemed to have fallen into the trap, as she could visibly see David’s face light up, and his wings start to rise like a puppy’s tail. “Why, funny of you to ask! There are a few kids! Ooh, ooh, okay, so, there’s this one boy named Max…” He started. Gwen forced herself to listen as intently as possible to his ranting, which seemed slightly easier than it did on her first day.

Gwen had interrogated David with the force of the FBI, and she truly believed him when he said that all the work was done, and that the camp was 100% ready for the kids tomorrow. After questioning David, and eating half of the cookie plate, Gwen decided to go back to the cabin to read, and David followed along to use the TV. There was no shortage on conversation, as David was still raving about the old days with his regular campers. Gwen stayed silent, giving the occasional hum. The faster she could get to her magazines and take a nap, the happier she would be. “And so Harrison flew up a bit and tipped his hat over, and an entire golden retriever dropped onto the stage! It was amazing! I’m telling you, Harrison is going to be the next big Vegas star.” David beamed. “I’m sure he will.” Gwen said in a monotone voice, opening the door.

Now, Gwen had just wanted to read for a while, and rest while she could. That was it. Not a hard thing to do, and was definitely attainable in an empty cabin like the one they were in.

But it wasn’t empty. There was an old man sitting on David’s chair, reading her magazines.

Gwen tightened her fist, and David looked like he had just been offered free cocaine, as he let out the loudest shriek imaginable. 

“Mr. Campbell! It’s so great to see you here!” David yelled. Campbell. As in Camp Campbell. Her boss was reading her butts and bodies magazines. 

Mr. Campbell jumped in surprise, and put on a winning smile instead of putting on non-pajama clothes. He obviously had not expected anybody to come over, but played it cool. “Davey! So good to see you, it’s been too long!” He said. “I came by to make sure everything is in order, and to meet your new coworker!” He wiped crumbs from his moustache, and stood up to his full former glory, disheveled hair and all. Gwen could tell that he was stretching his small wings ever so slightly to make them bigger, but said nothing. She wasn't jealous of his wings, but might have ripped them off to put them out of their misery. “Mr. Campbell, Richest Outdoorsman of 1994, owner of Cameron Campbell’s Camp Campbell.” He said, extending a hand to shake. Gwen took it, and Mr. Campbell shook her hand with ferocious grip. “Gwen Santos,” She grunted. “Psychologist and Liberal Arts major.” Mr. Campbell seemed to let out a laugh under his breath, which Gwen caught.

“Davey, I’d like to have a chat with Grace in private. You know, get her ready for her first day with the kids.” He said, making Gwen gulp. “Of course, sir! I’m sure you have tons of knowledge you’d love to pass on!” He responded, oblivious as ever, with his unrealistic smile and Camp Campbell salute.

Mr. Campbell took her outside, and his dopey grin fell to a serious gaze. This was it. She was going to be fired from her job before she had even started it. Another failure for the record books.

“Listen, Gretchen. David may downplay it, but those kids are brutal. I’ve seen it firsthand. David hasn’t cracked yet, and I need to be sure you won’t either.” He said, grabbing her by the shoulders. Gwen stared for a moment, in shocked silence. “You mean you’re not firing me?” She asked.

“Hell no. We need all the help we can get keeping these little demons in place.” He said. “Look, first things first. Never admit that this place is a scam. Because it totally isn’t! Fine print exists for a reason, goddamnit!” He yelled, clenching Gwen’s shoulder a little hard. “Also,” He started, “And this is a HUGE rule. NEVER tell ANYBODY who comes by where I am, or what I might be up to. Got it?” Mr. Campbell said gruffly. “G-Got it!” Gwen stammered.“Okay! That’s pretty much all the rules. Don’t go to Spooky Island unless you feel like seeing Hell itself, try your best not to lose any more kids, don’t invite parents over, and wake up the kids at 6:30 sharp.” He said, smiling. “I have the utmost faith in you, Gretchen!” Mr. Campbell said, and ran back inside to see David before he left.

Gwen was starting to realize how this camp really was run, and what type of job this really was. This entire place was most likely a big ploy to protect Mr. C’s ass, and it was pretty obvious. Not to mention the money he got through it. But hey, a paycheck is a paycheck, and she hated to admit it, but so far this beat a cubicle job. 

But David, she knew, definitely wasn’t in this like he was. He loved seeing those kids, and she was reminded of it every time Gwen opened a trap conversation, which she was now realizing wasn’t as one-sided as she first thought. He was kind, just because he could be. And the more she thought about how kind he stayed just for the hell of it, in a scam camp with a bitchy co-counsellor and a sellout boss, she started to respect him for it. And yeah, he may backfire sometimes, and be super annoying and too cheery, but he truly meant the best for people.

That night, Gwen took a steamy shower before going to bed, so she didn’t have to wake up earlier and do it. She was too tired to notice that her back wasn't as numb anymore.


	3. Three

Smack!

Gwen heard a blood curdling stream, and turned to see David being hit by a bus.

“Shit! David, are you okay?” Gwen asked, helping him to his feet. He coughed, and looked back to Gwen, smiling. “Yeah, I’m good! Happens all the time.” He responded. Gwen glared at him in horror, afraid and surprised at the fact that this was a normal thing for him.

“Kids are here.” Gwen looked up to the bus driver, curious and slightly angry. Seated in front was an old man, although Gwen couldn’t tell his exact age range. Everything about this guy was horrifying, and she lost what little anger she did have. He was missing half of his pair of yellowed, bloodshot eyes, and half of his set of hairy arms. Most importantly, however, the man was wingless. She felt a small sense of dread while looking at him, but it dissipated once a flood of kids blocked the view.

David was bouncing up and down, overjoyed and eager, like a puppy meeting a new family. His happiness shined like the sun, only it was 7:30 in the morning, and Gwen was looking directly into this sun's light. The group clung together as one mass, and everybody was pushing and shoving each other out the door.

Most of the kids seemed to share Gwen’s tiredness, but a few were as excited as David, while the rest were anxious. A rainbow of feathers lined the cracks in the child mass, and most of them were staring at Gwen with wide eyes once they got off. She suddenly felt the anxiety she had before, but tried to put on her best winning counsellor smile.

“Hey, everybody! My names Gwen, and I’m a new counsellor here at camp!” She said with robotic happiness. The mob kept staring in silence, and Gwen could feel sweat forming on her brow. She couldn't tell if they were silent from her being new, or the other thing. Either way, she understood.

“Oh come on! Why do you always have to rat me out? I’m just trying to make it home, dude! I can’t stand this shitty camp!” Gwen could hear, muffled, from the bus. The doors opened once again, and the bus driver held the hoodie of a boy on his hook hand. His wings were flapping as if he would fly away any second, but his tattered and frail black wings simply wouldn’t carry him. “Caught this one tryna hide in the bus.” He grumbled. “It’s not hiding if I’m just sitting there. It’s not my fault if you don’t see me.” He responded, crossing his arms defiantly. The man let the kid go, and he fell to his feet. He looked over to David and the kids, who were watching the ordeal intently, and then to Gwen.

His face lit up, and he started to laugh at the sight. “David, David, let me guess! You got tired of us laughing at you all the time, so you called in someone more of a man than you to stop us!” He said, pointing at Gwen but looking back to David. “And your version of a real man was some girl in her mid twenties?” David’s smile faltered by a fraction of a millimeter, and that let Gwen know that he was partly correct.

“Gwen’s here because it takes a lot of effort to take care of all you kids.” David said, looking at Max with that grin that had to be mostly fake at this point. “And I just know that soon, you guys are going to love her as much as you love me!”

“So, not at all, then?” The kid asked. David ignored the jab.

“You must be Max.” Gwen said, giving the best half-assed tired grin she could muster. She had no idea how David was pulling it off so well this early in the morning, but if he could do it, she was damn well going to try. “It’s nice to meet you! David’s told me a lot about you.” She grinned. “If he’s told you about me, then why are you making an effort to talk to me? You should know better, Gretchen.” Max said, with all the malice he could muster. Gwen immediately dropped the fake smile, and Max visibly took pride in that.

“Now, now, Max. Be happy! You’re back at camp! You should be filled with the joy of knowing the fun we’re going to have this year!” David grinned. “The fuck are you talking about?” Max responded. “Language. Now, campers, I see a few new faces, so you all will get to really know each other during today's activities! But first, breakfast!” At the mention of food the collective let out a cheer, and Gwen gave a relieved smile. She could really use a coffee right now.

“Okay, so here’s the game plan for today,” David said. Today on the menu was toaster waffles and juice, things that were easy for the QM to prep on short notice. Gwen didn’t take the waffles, knowing that they were freezer burnt, but she did brew a pot of coffee for herself. The mess hall was filled with exhausted murmurs of children who would kill for sleep, paired with the sounds of empty maple syrup bottles, way too much spray whip-cream, and pouring apple juice.

“I’ve got two big activities before we get everybody settled in and have dinner, and I figure we can split leading them.” He continued. “I think I chose some really fun activities to kick off this summer!” David said. Gwen nodded, knowing that David’s version of fun is vastly different than hers, or any other kid here.

David handed her two of his pine forest papers, each describing an activity. She read through each of them, while David kept talking. 

“I figured that first, we could have a little ‘get to know each other’ circle! Talk about ourselves and greet each other, so the newer kids get a feel for the rest of the camp. You can even join in on it, since you’re new to the kids too!” He cheered. “I’ll run that one. It’ll be a fun little activity to do after breakfast. And after that, we can play a few games, like truth or dare and Simon says!”

“After that, I figured you could run a little creative writing session! We can have the kids write short stories about something cool or funny that’s happened to them before during the summer.” He beamed. “Then they can share them to each other, too! It’s another little getting to know each other thing.” He said, smiling. Gwen nodded, mulling over the two slips she had been handed. “That doesn’t actually sound too bad, David.” She agreed, and David’s smile grew even wider. “Oh, I’m glad you like the plans! I just hope the kids are interested.” He said. Gwen took another drink of her coffee, and nodded at David. A small thing she did take notice of was the workload being cut in half, which she did appreciate. It would also probably make David look like less of an idiot, if he were to take the entire workload and run around frantically all day. She wondered if that was what it was like before? After all, he was right, it did take a lot of work to take care of nine kids. He must have gotten pretty good at it, because Gwen could tell that he had been here a while. 

The silence at their table was interrupted by a bigger kid tapping David on the shoulder,with a confused, angry, and slightly nervous expression. She wore a long brown jacket over her camp t-shirt, and her red hair was cut into a bob. Her medium, decently-sized wings were a soft yellow, with a slightly green tint. “Excuse me, Drake?” She asked. David turned to her, with his signature camp counsellor grin. He could patent it if he really wanted. “Hey! And close, but my name is David.” He corrected. “David, yeah. Anyways, this doesn’t really seem like a writing camp. These kids don’t really seem like the writing type, apart from that one loud kid.” She pointed out. David let out a small chuckle, and stole a quick look to Preston Goodplay, who was praising Ered on her ‘amazingly played cool girl aura’. “This is writing camp! And this is the best writing camp you have ever signed up for! Not only is this camp about writing, we’re about theatre, extreme sports, first aid, second aid, and so much more!” He praised. The girl’s face dropped, now serious and angry. “Are you telling me that this camp is a joke? I just wanted to write my novel without a care in the world, but noo! I signed up for a mediocre Frankenstein!” She yelled. The kids were interested by this outcry, and everyone was paying attention. Preston was starry eyed. “It's not mediocre… It's just more camp than you expected! Extra camp.” He continued. The girl seem defeated and stressed. “Yeah, sure, whatever.” She said, trying to think optimistically about it. Maybe it would be okay. She muttered an ungenuine ‘thanks’, and went back to her table, where she resumed eating in silence. 

“Well, look on the bright side,” Gwen hesitated. “At least we know for sure one person is going to love the activities.” David looked back to her with a smile that was slightly more genuine, and less plastic and forced. “Oh, you’re right!” He beamed. “What a good way to look at it!”

“Okay, okay, everybody get in a circle!” David told the kids, who were throwing away their trash and sitting on the floor, forming a wonky oval. “It’s time for the first activity!” He cheered. Gwen sat down along with the kids, looking like an elementary teacher with her class during storytime. The last kid sat down, and David started it off. “Okay, kids! We’re going to start with a little game to get to know each other. We’re going to go in a circle and say our name, our camp, our favorite color, and a fact about ourselves. We’ll start it off with Gwen!” He said, handing it over to her. She looked around the circle and smiled, clearing her throat. Something seemed to hang around these kids, the way they were inspecting her and were curious about her.

“Hey guys, I’m Gwen. My favorite color is either lime green or light purple, and I was born without wings.” The kids looked at her with slight disappointment, although she didn’t know what she did to let them down. The kid next to her piped up, looking uninterested in the activity and the kids.She had a light brown hunters cap on, matching the brown freckles that dotted her cheeks. A large purple sweater over her yellow shirt stood out. On her back was a set of chocolate brown wings. “Hi. I’m Ruby. I was supposed to come here for art camp. I like purple, obviously, and I have a pet platypus at home named Meatball.” The kids seemed slightly interested, but Ruby’s total lack of feelings or interest leveled it out. “Hey.” The kid next to Ruby chimed in. Gwen recognised them as the kid that came up to David during lunch. “I’m Teddy. I came for writing camp, and APPARENTLY I got more than I asked for.” The kids around her silently grinned to themselves, all for different reasons, yet pleased with her small outburst. “I like a dull light yellow, and I’m working on my next big novel. It’s about this girl, who’s a lonely detective who nobody really gets, and then she meets this guy…” She continued describing it, Gwen listening to every word intently. They cycled through all the kids; Nurf, Harrison, Ered, Preston, Nerris, Dolph, and Max, until it was back to Gwen. They played small games like Simon Says, Truth or Dare, and Heads Up Seven Up, until it was Gwen’s time to shine.

“Okay, campers! Time for the next activity.” David announced. “Which will be guided by guided by my lovely co-counsellor Gwen!” Gwen snorted to herself, at the thought of being ‘lovely’. “Okay, campers!” She cheered. “Take a seat at a table. First, we will be writing stories about a funny story from other summers. After that, if we have time, I have a few Mad Libs sheet we can all do together.” The kids all sat down, and Gwen could hear a few groans from the group, exaggerated and loud to let her know that they hated this, however the group of kids doing this was fairly small. Preston, Dolph, and Teddy immediately got to work, while the rest of the kids hesitated and thought. Max didn’t seem to even think about it, and was just playing the knife game with his pencil, using the eraser side. She looked back to David, then to Max, and back to David, asking him without speaking if she should do anything. He shook his head, and pointed to himself, saying that he would take care of it. Gwen knew this would be a show.

David walked over to Max, eyeing his blank paper. He shifted his gaze back to the kid, who was focused on his hand and the pencil.

“Max.”

David got an annoyed grunt in response.

“Ma-"

“What the fuck do you want, David? God.” He yelled. David frowned, a stern, warning expression. The kids around stopped writing to watch the tantrum.

“I'd like you to stop that language first of all, and I'd appreciate it if you tried to write down something. It can be fun, I'm sure you have a bunch of silly stories.” He said, trying to add a cheery spin on it like he did everything. Gwen winced at it.

“I don't want to do Gabby’s shitty activity, David. It's stupid.” Max said, turning his gaze towards her. She gave him the deadliest gaze she could. Really? Really, bitch?

David frowned, only less angry and actually slightly sadder. “This was my idea, Max.” He said, putting his hand on his forehead and running his fingers through his hair. “And you know her name is Gwen.”

“You still aren’t going to get me to do it.” He sneered. David seemingly gave up at this. “Fine, sure. Just don’t do anything too wild.” He said, leaving Max with a grin, and leaving David with a thin-lipped smile himself.

...

“I fucking hate Gwen.” Max said to Nerris, at dinner, making sure the rest of their table could hear. “She’s so annoying! It’s like having another David around.” He mixed his mashed potatoes with his fork, not trusting it.

“I don’t think she’s so bad! She’s obviously putting up a nice facade of some sort! It’s our job to find out what she’s really like!” Preston yelled from across the table. Nerris nodded. “Ith only her firth day, Max. We don’t know what she’th really like. Ith like she has on a cloak of invisibility!” Nerris responded. Max grunted, annoyed with his friends responses. “So you think she’s more than just a counsellor trying to be nice as possible to us kids?” He asked. Noises of agreement circled the table. “Well what type of person do you think David would hire?” Max asked. He smirked to himself. “I mean, Preston is obviously right. She’s putting on a fake persona of being nice. But it must be good enough, and strong enough to get through David and last this long, so we’ll really never know.” Noises of agreement circled the table, while Preston looked sad at the realization.

Max looked over to the table where the two counsellors sat, one wingless and one an angel. Yeah, there was no way she was a nice person. Evil recognises evil, and Gwen was the most evil of them all. Max wanted her out.

...

“David?” Gwen asked. The cabin had a cheerful mood to it, the TV on and the counsellors finally back from a long first day. The tour and setup had taken a while, and not everybody was too cooperative. Gwen almost snapped at Max.

“Yes, Gwen?” David responded, popping his head out from the shared bedroom. Gwen motioned for him to come over and sit next to her in their chairs. David grinned, then ran over and did so, joining her for some relaxing TV to end the night. Gwen pondered on it, before actually asking. “How do you do it?”

“Do what?” He responded, turning to her. “How are you so… Happy, all the time. Those kids sucked, but you still smiled about it.” She puzzled. He didn’t even have to spend a moment thinking about it.

“Well, some of those kids might be a challenge, but when I’m surrounded by kids that I can show the beauty of nature and the joy of friendship, I’m at my best.” He said, grinning in response. “Plus, they just met you. I’m sure it won't take too much time for them to warm up to you!”

Gwen chuckled. “I think they seemed to hate me more when I was nicer.” She responded. David gave her a curious look. “I didn’t think so.” He stated, then turned to the TV. 

“What are you watching, anyway?” He asked, making her face light up. “Okay! So it’s about this girl who runs off into the woods, and she meets this werewolf dude, and he’s…”

The two counsellors watched the show together, staying up late, and fixing the mood that the two were really in.


	4. Four

Boom.  
Max was playing the knife game with his pencil again.  
Boom.  
It was in slow motion. Too slow, too little for the boy who was always too much.  
Boom.  
There is no point of the game. You just try not to lose your fingers, and keep everything together.  
Boom.  
Gwen needed this job. She needed a paycheck. She was not getting thrown out again.  
Boom.  
Gwen was not going to get cut off. She was going to stay here with her feet planted in the ground, even if the kids hated her. She would make them not hate her. She would make them be afraid to even backtalk to her, and even to David.  
Boom.  
Max hit a finger with his eraser, then looked directly at her.  
Gwen woke up with a start, immediately sitting up from her bed. David hovered over her bedside, trying and succeeding to wake her up for the day. She adjusted her eyes to the lack of light, the only moonlight being blocked by David’s wings, then looked up to David’s face in the dark, squinting. He was practically glowing, the moon against his back. It made him look like an alien, or an item about to be placed in a video game. It was too late for chirping crickets, yet too early for birds, so the cabin was peacefully quiet.  
“David?” Gwen asked. He gave a nervous smile. Even Gwen could see that bright smile through thick darkness. “It’s time to get up.” He responded, simply. David had tried waking her up two different times after the first day, and neither of them had gone too well. Gwen groaned, but stretched anyway, and made a move to get out of bed. She didn’t feel like complaining.  
She flung her blankets beside her bed, the warmth and comfort being ripped from her body.  
She loved those blankets. It was one of the few perks of being wingless. Since David had large wings, he slept on his stomach, back out to shield him. He had donated his blanket to her cause, because of that. She could sleep with however many blankets she wanted, in any position. But now that they were away from reach, it felt like a loved one had left her.  
She stood from her bed, immediately wishing she hadn’t.  
Her back was protesting at this ungodly hour, aching down her spine.  
She winced, and tried rubbing her upper back, but it did nothing. David seemed to catch on.  
“Oh, Gwen, are you having back problems? We have some Tylenol in the drug cabinet, I think..” He offered, rushing to the bathroom and grabbing the bottle. She thanked him, and took the pills. The two had already established an awkward morning schedule, and got ready for the hell that awaited them outside.  
The week of greeting, games, and team building was over, and today the two counsellors would start the actual camp activities. The list of kids that they had started with Preston, and David told her that she didn't have to make plans for him. On his days, he ran camp like a dictator.  
Gwen was greatful, feeling lucky that she didn’t have to make theatre plans on short notice. She knew who had to plan what in advance, but the both of them knew by now that Gwen makes plans the day of.  
“It’s gonna be a really hot one today.” David said, making small talk from the other room, while Gwen changed in the bedroom. “Damn. Being surrounded by angry, complaining, and hot kids with back pain isn’t my specialty,” She said, while putting on her counsellor tee. She took short notice of the wing holes she had to stitch up, while trying to find the front. “I can only tackle two of those at a time.” She joked.  
“Well luckily for you, there’s two of us.” He said, walking into the room, ready for the day ahead. “Besides, it can’t be that bad.”  
…  
“Preston, how the fuck do you expect us to do a boring play in this boiling heat?!”  
“It’s not a play, Max, it’s improv! And one doesn’t worry about things like weather when the theatre awaits!”  
Gwen was going to go fucking insane. As David anxiously went after the kids, trying to tame the foul beasts, Gwen stood there, coil winding around her heart and stiffening her body. She was wound so tight that she was about to snap, and all the anxiety pills within reason couldn’t help her. She needed more Tylenol. She needed a nap. She needed an AC, something to cool her down.  
Kids ran around her feet, chasing one another, screaming, and overall being a huge pain in the ass. She clenched her fist, and twitched her eye. She gazed over to David, who was trying to coax Nerris into getting off of a high plank board. Harrison, in his need to cool down, had turned a mirror into a slab of ice. Max was playing with a prop sword, surprisingly sharp for being made from plastic. Nurf was chasing Dolph, with his actual knife.  
“This is a nightmare!” Preston yelled from beside her, very loudly.  
And with that, she snapped.  
“Nurf, you better put that knife down, or I swear to god I’ll throw the sword Max has right at your face!” She screamed, and the room went silent. “Nerris, get the hell down from there, before I jump up there and drag you down.” She said, giving Nerris a death glare. She obliged, mumbling something under her breath. Nurf let out a sigh, putting the knife back in his pocket.  
After she said everything it hit her, but she didn’t feel sorry about it. These little shits were going to learn the hard way that they couldn’t do whatever they wanted.  
It was only when Gwen looked over to David’s face that she felt a little sorry.  
“Jesus, were you always this big of an asshole?” Max shouted, and the kids around her giggled. She put a hand to her forehead, letting out a long sigh.  
“I need more Tylenol.” She said, walking out from the amphitheatre and rushing back to the Counsellors cabin.  
…  
“Okay, I need everybody to just move your body rapidly and crazy, like you’re dancing very badly.” Preston shouted to the disinterested kids scattered throughout the stage.  
“You want us to have an upright seizure?” Max shouted back, and Preston nodded wildly. “Pretty much, yes.”  
The kids did as told, violently moving their bodies, until Preston shouted at them to freeze. They were all in various weird and different poses, and Preston walked around to see them all.  
“Great! Nerris, I need you to think quickly. What are you doing in this pose?” He asked. “Uh! I’m casting a spell on Nurf?” She guessed. Preston nodded, and walked over to Nurf. “What about you, what are you doing while she calls her spirit from the depths of her soul, and blasts magic to your very inner being?!” He screamed. “Walking up to punch her in the face!” He blurted. “Yes, Nurf! You are enraged!” He said, practically giddy. “Okay, I want the two of you to act out this scene off the top of your heads when I shout go!”  
“Three… Two… One… GO!”  
Nurf walked briskly up to Nerris, while she shouted her curse. “Be gone, foul mortal! Thou strengths and wits does not even compare to those of Nerris the-”  
Shouting, Nurf punched her in the face, forcing her onto the ground. A collective ‘ooo’ was heard from the other kids, and Gwen winced.  
“Nerris! Are you okay?!” David asked, running up to the stage, and scooping up a crying Nerris the Cute. He led her off stage, and sat her down next to Gwen, as he ran off to the Mess Hall to get ice.  
“Did I win?” Nurf asked Preston. “Yes, you did very good. You can go backstage and sit down now.” Preston stammered. “Hell yeah!” He cheered, walking offstage.  
As Preston set up Ruby and Teddy’s improv scene, which Gwen hoped would be less violent, she turned her attention to the whimpering kid beside her. “Hey, Nerris. I’m sorry that he punched you. I’ll make sure you get extra dessert today to help you out, okay?” She asked. Nerris nodded, smiling at Gwen through her tears. They made small talk until David came back with ice, and tended to the punch. Gwen helped, thinking to herself in the meantime.  
At least some of these kids weren’t total assholes. A few were okay, she guessed.  
After all of the improv, and after Gwen made sure to tell QM to give Nerris the extra treats she was promised, Gwen slumped down into her seat in front of David, putting her head in her hands and resting her elbows on the table.  
“Gwen, geez, you look really down in the dumps, huh!” David noted, earning a groan in response. “Let me cheer you up with a little camp song!” David said, sucking in air to start. “David, if you so much as sing a solfege I will rip your vocal cords from your throat.” She moaned. After saying it she felt slightly sorry, and even more sorry when she could feel his presence leave the table a moment later. But Gwen was not the type of person to admit being wrong, so there she sat, wallowing in her feelings with her hands against her face.  
“You should at least eat something.” David said. setting down a tray carefully in front of her moments later.  
“I'm not in the mood fo-" She said, pulling her hands from her face to reveal a comfort lunch of David's own design. On a tray sat three mini breakfast doughnuts, a small bag of potato chips, strawberries, and a blueberry muffin.  
“Oh.” She said, eyeing down the tray. “Maybe I am in the mood for food.”  
“It's not the healthiest, but I think eating something is better than nothing.” David explained. “Plus, nothing is better than comfort food to soothe the soul!”  
Gwen gave a genuine smile, then took a bite of one of the doughnuts.  
“It's just that this hasn't been my day, you know?” Gwen explained, covering her mouth. “It's hot enough to melt this damn mess hall down, my back is still killing me, the kids are being shitty as usual and something Max said kind of got to me, I guess.”  
“What did he do this time?” David sighed, obviously used to dealing with Max and his attitude.  
“Oh, it’s not that big of a deal. He just asked me if I was ‘always that mean’ after that outburst I had at the amphitheatre. I guess I kind of over thought it.”  
“I mean, I want them to be afraid to backtalk me and you, because you know, we ARE counsellors, but I don't want them to think I’m a wicked witch or anything. At first I thought that was what I wanted, but some of those kids are really nice! Like that Nerris kid, being an asshole to her just doesn’t seem right. I don’t want her to think I’m a witch. But Max, yeah, He can rot in hell for all that I care. Harrison-”  
“I think,” David interjected, stopping her from going on. “That you’re overthinking this. But I get what you mean.”  
“Max is a handful, but it’s not like the kids take his every word as true. They know better.” He stated, simply. Taking a bite of his apple and covering his mouth, he continued. “Some kids just need to be dealt with differently. Even though they’re young, they get that. They won’t think that you’re yelling specifically at them when it’s to someone else, or even to the entire group.”  
“You can be nice to some kids, or blunt to others to get them back on track. It really doesn’t matter, each kid is going to have a different view of you.”  
Gwen thought about this for a moment, then swallowed. “You know, you’re like a wise old warrior but for summer camps.”  
“I’m not much of a warrior. Maybe I could be a cleric, or something.”  
“Yeah, I can see that. But you might need a floating book. And you’d need to age a lot. And… Maybe a beard, if you can even grow any hair on that baby face.”  
The two laughed, eating the rest of their lunches in a fairly good mood.  
\---  
“They should make sweatpants, but in short form.” Gwen said idly, watching Rob Boss paint a lovely sunset. It was calming, and helped her relax for bed after a grueling day with the kids. David had seen one episode a few days ago, and had been all over it sense.  
“Sweat Shorts? Short Pants?” Gwen continued, spinning off brand name ideas.  
“Gym shorts.” David said, completing the idea.  
“Gym shorts!” Gwen affirmed. “I need to buy some next time we head out to sleepy peak.”  
After a few moments of watching and saying whatever came to mind, she looked over to see David asleep on his chair.  
He looked so cozy, and calm. Peaceful. His wings enveloped his body like it was his shield, or a separate entity trying to hold him. She wondered what he was dreaming about. Gwen smiled to herself as she thought about David, starting to drift off.


	5. Five

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> hi sorry for being the most inconsistent updater ever, love yall :^D

“I don’t know, I kind of like this cape.”  
“Neon blue definitely isn’t your color, David.”  
“Oh! This looks like a cool staff!”  
The two counsellors let out an ‘ooo’ as David flipped a switch, and old dying LEDs came on inside the staff’s bulb. David swished it around a little, watching the lights slowly, and then took it from the old chest and sat it by his side. So far, for their outfits, Gwen had a set of horns, a crown, an amulet, an oversized t-shirt she was using as a dress, a belt, her regular shorts and longer boots. David had a set of shoulder armor, a blue gauntlet, a pirate shirt, and an old santa beard that had to be itchy as hell.  
“Wow! I can’t wait to put this all on!” David cheered, running over to one of the two changing booths in the amphitheatre. Gwen followed along slower, clutching her costume and frowning slightly to herself.  
David was practically begging her to come out so he could see her outfit, while Gwen was hissing to him, telling him that she was changing as fast as she could. After she had finished placing on her crown, she allowed herself a minute to look at her outfit in the mirror.  
Thank god that her bras weren’t made special for non-wing users. She was pretty sure that if the kids saw the back of her bra through the wing holes, she’d never live it down.  
Other than the two gaping holes in her back, the outfit looked alright, albeit pretty stupid. Sighing to herself, she opened the curtain and walked out, ready to disappoint David with the weird and simple outfit she was donning.  
“Wow!” David said, eyeing her up and down. “That looks really cool, Gwen!”  
David’s outfit was surprisingly similar to himself. He was silly and annoying like the beard and the shirt, and then there was the armor. Working with the kids that he did, that was pretty self explanatory. The staff was worn out and intricate.  
Even if it looked stupid, David made it the slightest bit cute, and Gwen probably grinned wider than she should have allowed herself to. She wasn’t trying to look weirder than she did already. Besides, it was simply an aesthetically pleasing thing, no need for a fuss.  
“Uh… Thanks!” Gwen said after a minute. “It’s alright I guess. Comfortable. Makes me look like a sort of… Ugly goat queen.” She snickered.  
David tilted his head, trying to picture that. “Goat queen I can get, but it really isn’t that ugly. Besides, most queen's can’t be ugly, unless they’re old or something. They’re royal. So in reality, as a goat queen you’re the epitome of beauty!” He cheered.  
God, that was a critical hit. David could always put a cheery spin on anything. It was pretty scary that there was no limits to his power.  
Not knowing how to respond to such a nice comment, she changed the subject. “If I’m a goat queen, then you’re a sorcerer with magic hair dye.” She joked, as the two started walking out to the stage. “Why are we doing this in the amphitheatre again?” She asked.  
“It has great acoustics, and I figured it would make my character voices sound cooler.”  
“Your character voices?”  
“Well yeah, I’m the dungeon master!” David explained. “I’m not too good at it, and the kids don’t like my original campaigns too much. They’re too ‘cheery’ and ‘like a PBS kids show for toddlers.’”  
Gwen snickered to herself, imagining David getting a campaign straight from the three year old section at Sleepy Peak library.  
“Now I just get my campaigns from Nerris. She’s very creative, but there are a lot of combat scenes. Two fights are way too many!”  
The two walked through the stage curtain, their eyes adjusting to the light to see a blur of kids yelling and arguing. Plastic armor shined in the sun, accompanied by cheap swords and staffs of every kind. It was a kid on kid duel, and the spectators were cheering for their team of choice. It was a shit show of the best kind, and Gwen had to admit she was very interested in the battle of Nurf vs. Harrison. Feathers were flying, axe and dagger against each other, the two seemingly equally matched. Harrison was quick and versatile, while Nurf was powerful and large. David was trying to break it up, while Gwen internally cheered for Harrison.  
“Aren’t you going to stop them?” She heard a voice say among the crowd. She turned to her side to see a curious Max donning only a set of small devil horns. Fitting.  
“Why? I figured you’d be all over a thing like this.” Gwen said, honestly confused.  
“No, I’m just genuinely curious. Shouldn’t you be protecting the kids that you’re supposed to be in charge of, Gertrude?” Max said, defending himself. It seemed to lack just a slight bit of that spite that was in every conversation they had, and he seemed disappointed.  
“So… Do you like DND?”  
“What do you think? Last time we killed a dragon, we had to stop because David started crying.”  
“Mmm.” Gwen hummed. Harrison was flying up for an attack, while Nurf tried to grab his leg. He was close, but Harrison was now too high to grab at.  
“But Nerris made the campaign. At least it’s not about unicorns and rainbows.”  
Max snickered, probably recalling a memory of just that. “That doesn’t make a difference. He always figures out a way to make it uncool.”  
“So you agree that originally, it’s cool.” Gwen said slyly, giving him a look as he let out an annoyed grunt.  
“I used to be a DM for my highschool group of friends. Since I’ll be helping out David, I might be able to help stop him from making it all glitter and puppies. Maybe.” She said, giving a wink to the kid. He seemed surprised, but quickly turned his look into one of doubt and annoyance, giving a scoff and turning his head.  
At this point, David looked on the verge of death. She guess the opening act would have to be cut short. She sighed, then went back to the stage to grab the megaphone and force a cease-fire.  
\---  
“I don’t trust him.”  
“You’re suggesting we just let 500 GP slip by? 500!”  
“Oh, you’re too innocent. He came up and called Preston by name, he obviously knows about us somehow!”  
“David, let me roll a perception check… I got a 16.”  
“The man seems to be holding something in his pocket. You don’t know what it is, but he seems to be keeping it in his grip at all times. He seems fidgety.” Gwen was looking over his shoulder, reading the notes Nerris had made him as the kids bickered over what to do as a group. She had to admit, it was a pretty solid story. She’d have to take tips from the kid sometime.  
“Okay, okay, guys. I have an idea. What if we go in like we’re attacking him, just to see what he does?”  
“I’m for that.”  
“Me too!”  
Agreement was heard all around the circle of kids, and Max was the one who ended up speaking for the group.  
“David, I’m going to lunge forward at him.  
“The mysterious man steps back, and pulls out a banana from his pocket!” David hollered, making the kids around him groan. Gwen gave him a questioning look, while his grin in return spoke for him, saying ‘I can’t stand another fight scene, we’ve had three already’. As the kids argued, Gwen snatched the notes from David and read over it, nodding to herself.  
“As Max lunges at the man, he panics, stepping back with an uncertain foot.” Gwen said. Her voice hushed the kids immediately, as they intently listened.  
“Everybody around the tavern seems to take notice of you two, and they turn just in time to see the man pull out a rusty blade from his coat pocket. The chatter that was filling the place before is now nonexistent. He seems nervous, but either way, He’s not going to give up bounties as big as all of yours. Kids, roll initiative!” Gwen narrated. Cheers filled the circle, Gwen being the savior of their game. David wasn’t angry, in fact he was listening intently as if this were his bedtime story. Rolling initiative herself, she collected the numbers and wrote each one on a whiteboard David passed over. “Ered, you’re up first.” She announced. And just like that, Gwen was now the Dungeon Master.  
They had laughs, like when Dolph accidentally bought a cow. They got angry, like when they lost their biggest bounty yet. Gwen even swore that she could see a few sad faces in the room when Ruby died in battle. But their DND journey was nearing the end, and this was the last scene of the night before the last battle.  
“After bargaining with the street bard, he is finally willing to accept your money in exchange for information on the bounty hunter after your team.” Gwen answered. The kids looked relieved, after trying to tempt him for so long. “He looks around to the shopkeepers and the townspeople, and after being content that nobody is listening in, he tells you what you need to know.” Gwen looks over to David. Feeling bad about taking his spot as DM, she made sure to still let him voice most of the characters. She handed him back the notes.  
“The bounty hunter’s name is Dalwart the Strong!” David said in a bad southern accent. “His hideout is the building right next to the Silver Inn. He’s always around there. Now gimmie yer gold!” He grinned. Gwen snorted at that last line. David got really into character when Gwen gave him someone new to voice.  
The team had travelled to the abandoned building and met their foe, and Teddy pounced at the opportunity for a surprise attack. After a short battle, the man was simply outnumbered and fell to dust after a magic missile from Nerris. The amphitheatre was booming with cheers from the team. Seeing a brief glimpse at the time when David wiped away tears, Gwen decided to wrap it up early.  
“As your team celebrates this huge win, you all fail to notice that the big doors at the front of the room are slowly creaking open. Sunlight fills the room, and Nurf, you turn to notice three silhouettes in the doorway. You’ve all got company.”  
“Kids…” Gwen started, then gave a sly, knowing face. “Oh, would you look at the time. QM must be ready for dinner.”  
The kids yelled their protests, but Gwen was already folding up the Dungeon Master screen. “Aren’t you guys hungry, though?” She said, trying to console them. “I’m pretty sure there won’t be much wait for food once we get there. We’re kind of late.”  
“I’m hungry for blood!” Nerris shouted, standing up with her arms in the air.  
“Nerris, you wrote the campaign, you know what happens next!” Gwen laughed.  
“I don’t care, justice will be served one way or another!”  
“Yeah? Well, first, lunch will be served. Come on guys, let’s gooooo.”  
\---  
“Gwen, I had no idea you were such a good storyteller!” David chatted from across the table. “I was on the edge of my seat! Gosh, there isn’t anything you can’t do!”  
She could think of a very long list of things she couldn’t do, but instead of telling that to David, she simply chuckled under her breath.  
“Well I’m glad you had fun, but you know that it was all Nerris. All I did was use her ideas.”  
“But you gave life to them! Actually, that was the most engaged I’ve seen the kids in any activity. You’re brilliant!”  
Gwen couldn’t deny that she was proud of that achievement. Those kids were a pain to deal with, but giving them all a common enemy did the trick. Of course there were crude jokes and fighting amongst the group, but she was just happy that there was a moment where the kids didn’t hate her.  
“At least now I know that Max doesn’t hate everything.”  
“Oh, he did seem to be more interested, didn’t he? I’m so proud of him, he’s finally participating! I just knew that you and him would end up getting along!”  
“David, he still hates me. He hates everyone, it’s his thing.”  
“I know, but it’s the first step on the stairway to friendship! You two are totally going to be best buddies! Oh, imagine, if he likes your storytelling, maybe you could do more writing camps! Or you could have a book club, or…”  
God, did David ever shut up? She dug into her lunch as he spoke, wondering why she actually didn’t want him to.


	6. Six

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> lmao sorry 

Gwen had a goal today, and was keen on achieving it by any means possible. Her soul depended on reaching it, and she couldn’t- she WOULDN’T fail the mission. This was her last chance.

Her mission: Waste time.

She was going to mess around as long as she could in Sleepy Peak before going back to camp. Hell, she might even go past Sleepy Peak if she felt daring enough. She was getting a break here, even in a town where fun was outlawed. She couldn’t stand any more time with those little brats, and as soon as she passed the threshold of camp, it was like taking a gulp of air after being underwater for so long.

Clutching a scrap of forest lined paper, she walked into Atlas Hardware Store with the first page of supplies to bring along with her. She didn't need too many things, but David was a very descriptive person, and had a lot of notes to help her on her journey. With this amount of writing, it would be hard to act like she got lost in the realms of the store, but Gwen was one hell of an excuse maker.

She stepped to the side, read the list, and reread it over again to make sure she didn’t miss anything. Wooden pallets, Shrinky Dinks, paint brushes, watercolors, acrylics, the list went on and on. Scribbled in the margins was a note saying to only get ‘the best supplies for the best art camp in Sleepy Peak!!!!!’ After deciding she had spent a considerable amount of time in peace reading her list, she once again set off with her journey, armed with her purse and a credit card.

Picking up the coolest gosh-dang watercolors the world had ever seen, and throwing a few other things into the cart herself, she was able to find a good amount of the supplies listed, although not all of them. That means she’d have to go farther out to find a different shop, with what she needed.

Nice.

After strolling and perusing through a different aisle, she did find something that peaked her interest. Laying on a dusty shelf was a stack of sticky note papers, lined with a forest background, and lighter in the middle. David’s paper. She hummed for a second, then sat it down in the cart. He was running out anyways, he had a tendency to write little notes and doodle whenever the smallest idea stuck in his head. At this point, their desk was green instead of brown. She didn't mind though.

Next to the stack was sticky notes of the same design, with a different pattern printed on them. Amethyst geodes, in her favorite shade of purple. She put them into the cart next to David's papers.

Looking over her cart once more, she made sure to check off what she had bought. Twelve craft pallets, watercolor kits, acrylic kits, new brushes, colored printer paper, Shrinky Dinks, David's paper, Gwen’s paper, a cool golden and green pen that she figured David would like, (she definitely liked it, and she would use it as much as possible,) and more than a handful of paint chips in pretty colors. She took her purse, and pulled out the credit card she was given to pay with. 

Holy shit.

She figured it was Mr. Campbell’s, but this… was not what she expected.

The credit card was made custom, donning a photo of Mr. Campbell in a tuxedo, posing next to a fireplace. He held a rose in his mouth, and colorful, large wings were photoshopped in.

Holy shit!

She cracked up in the middle of an empty aisle, trying to cover her laughter with her hands but to no avail. How the hell did David not lose it every time he went for supplies? This was the funniest thing she had ever seen all summer! After calming herself down, which took a while, she rolled her cart over to the checkout aisle.

\---

“Sorry, but I can’t let you buy this.”

“Oh? Why, it couldn’t have been declined. I can see if-”

“Ma’am, this is obviously not your credit card.” A bored cashier with tiny neon blue wings held up the face of the card, and Gwen had to bite the inside of her mouth to not start crying with laughter. Her knuckles turned white from gripping the cart handle with such force. God, she probably looked like she did steal it like this.

“I’m sorry, it’s the company credit card. That’s my boss. Is there anybody I can call to prove that it’s not stolen, or can I check to see if I have any other payment at camp?” Gwen said in a shaky voice, still trying to hold in a smile.

“You ought to call you coworker, but you need to use the landline. Not much service in this part of the Peaks.” She gestured to the phone, next to the checkout counter, with a suspicious glare at her back.

She started to lose her composure, and she pushed the cart out of the way, all while snickering to herself. She picked up one green page of notes, and dialed the number that David had left her in case anything went wrong. There was little to no wait for him to pick up the phone.

“Gwen, what’s wrong? Did the car break down? Were you robbed? Are you on fire?”

“No, no, and no.”

“Was it a bear? Platypuses seem to be more common this year, too. Platypuses? Platypi?” He asked himself.

“David, I just need you to check and see if we have any other credit cards, or any cash to pay with. They think I stole the card, since it’s got Mr. Campbell on it.”

“Oh! Uh, okay, let me do that.” He said. “QM, I’ll be right back, keep an eye on the kids for me please!” Gwen could hear farther from the receiver. Waiting as David flew over to the safe, Gwen fumbled with the cord. Another worker seemed to be coming out of the back room, fumbling through the wide doorway as her wings fought for space.

“Uhh… I don’t think I have anything else. We have a few dollars, but not enough to cover it.” Gwen heard after a while, making her jump. Shit. 

“Well if cash is out of the conversation, how can I prove it’s mine? Can we call Mr. Campbell   
somehow?” She said, starting to stress over it.

Quiet over the line for a fraction of a second. “No, actually. I never really thought too much about it, but he never left a number to call. He just sort of… Arrives, or calls my phone with different numbers. I’m sorry, I’ve never had a problem like this before.”

Of course he wouldn’t, it’s fucking David. He’s got the most stupid trustable face on the planet, and Gwen was pretty sure he would cry in a situation like this. “Shit, shit, shit. Okay. David, as much as it absolutely pains me to say, you might have to come over here and help me deal with this. I don’t think they’re going to let me leave with that card unless I can somehow prove it’s ours.”

“David?” Gwen heard from the side of her. She turned with a curious glare to see the woman who had entered a few moments ago. “David Greenwood?”

“Uh… Yeah.” Puzzled Gwen.

“No way!” She nearly screeched. “I miss that guy, I haven't seen him since last summer! Can I talk to him for a minute?”

“...Sure?” Gwen said dumbfoundedly. handing her the phone to the girl.

“Oh my gosh, hey, David! It’s been so long!” The girl cheered, pushing back a strand of blonde hair.

“Nicole?” David said on the other end, with a happy yet confused tone. “Wow, how have you been?”

“Oh, I’ve been great! I’ve started to travel a lot this year, in fact I just came back from Japan! The people there were so nice, it was incredible!”

“That sounds amazing! Gosh, I wish I could travel all around the world like you!”

“Well maybe you ought to come along with me sometime! You would be better to look at than anything else I could possibly visit, though.” She said in an obviously flirty tone. Gwen looked over to the cashier who she had been talking to before, and she returned back a shrug. Gwen would be surprised if David even picked up her implications.

“You’re always the nicest, Nicole. But I have kids to take care of!”

“Well, I always try.” She said with a pep in her voice, but her face seemed slightly more impatient. “So, how is the camp this year?”

“Oh, we’ve had a wonderful turnout! Two new campers, and one new counsellor. Things are going amazing now that Gwen is here!”

“Gwen? Was that the girl who was on the phone before?” She asked, turning to Gwen and eyeing her up and down with unhidden malice. What was this girl’s problem?

“Yeah, it was! She was having a little trouble paying, so she called me.”

“Oh, I’m sure I can help her out! She seems really nice, and cute as a button!” She approved, yet her eyes trained on Gwen seemed to tell a different story. Gwen wanted to punch her in the face, at this point.

“I’ll hand you back over to Gwen while I get this sorted out.” She said, practically forcing over the phone. She went over to the cashier, and Gwen hoped she wouldn’t fuck her over any worse. For David’s sake, at the least.

“Hey, she seemed nice.” Gwen said casually.

“Oh, she’s really sweet! I'll have to catch up with her soon.” He said. “How was shopping?”

“It was fun.” She said, fiddling with the telephone cord. “I’m not done, I still need a few things. I bought you some stuff, too.”

“Oh, nice! You didn’t have to, though.”

“I didn’t buy anything big. It’s just something I thought was cool and made me think of yo-”

“Gwen! Honey, you’re all payed for! Sorry for the trouble!” She hollered. Gwen exchanged her goodbyes with David, and was given back her credit card. Nicole smiled, (a genuine smile, but after their phone incident she knew it was nothing but,) and left to the break room.

“Sorry for the inconvenience.” The previous cashier said to her. “I still don’t understand why that would be your company credit card, but I’m not even going to risk being in a room alone with Nicole after disagreeing with her. Bitch is scary. Steal smarter next time, I guess.” She said quietly, which made Gwen let out a small snort of laughter. “You’d be surprised. My boss is weird as hell. I wish I could say that stealing was the reason I have this.” She responded. The cashier grinned, and waved as Gwen left. She hoped she could come out here more often. That cashier was the least annoying thing she had spoken too since the beginning of this Summer. 

\---

The new daily rumor about Gwen blazed through each and every Camper who was sat at the lunch tables. Now that she wasn’t there to set things straight, gossip was in full force.

“Gwen isn’t back yet. You’d think she would have made it by now.” Max said with a condescending smile. “Gee, I wonder if she’s okay! I hope nothing has happened to her.” Max claimed, with robotic and fake empathy. “Preston, do you have any thoughts on Gwen’s disappearance?”

“She’s left everybody in waiting. Disappeared without a trace! What a dramatic move on her part.” Preston gushed.

“Disappearing is my area of expertise.” Harrison chimed in. “I bet she accidentally cast a spell on herself, and she’s here right now, only invisible. Or in a different plane entirely.” Everybody stayed quiet for a few moments at this suggestion, looking around to see if they could notice any movement.

“GWEN, ARE YOU HERE?” Preston shouted after a while, scaring a few so badly that they fell from her seats.

“Nope. Doesn’t look like it.” Nerris said. “Maybe she was eaten by a dragon. They’re super common in an area like this.”  
“Or a bear, maybe!”

“What if she was robbed?”

“I miss Gwen!”

“She died so young!”

“Guys, stop!” David said, finally chimed in, being more irritated than usual. The kids froze at the sight of David doing anything remotely authoritative, which made him soften down again. “I know you’re worried, but you saw me take that call from Gwen about two hours ago. She’s fine, just running a little late is all.” He comforted. “Besides, traffic can sometimes get a little bad the further up you go. I should know.” He said, putting on a grin.

Max shrugged. “Why do we care, anyway. Less authority to deal with. We can easily overrun this camp with all the manpower gone!” Max said, riling up the kids.

\---

David spat out the toothpaste in his mouth, and looked up to himself in the mirror. Running fingers through his hair, he was relieved to feel none of the mud that had caked it this afternoon. He’d definitely have a bruise from the apple Max had thrown his way, though. He gave himself a little wink, then shut off the light and turned back to his shared bedroom. Setting on his nightcap, he knew he wouldn’t get much sleep tonight.

He laid on his bed face down, his wings covering his body with a warm self-hug. He laid there for a minute, then shifted his body to look at his side.

Gwen’s bed was empty.

The traffic was nonexistent in a place like Sleepy Peak. There’s nothing for miles.


End file.
